The All-Star guard's first half didn't go as planned, scoring just seven points on 3-for-10 shooting with only two assists, but Irving didn't let that diminish his entire game.

He led the scoring charge during the Celtics' ridiculous third quarter run where they held the Pacers to just two field goals in the frame. Irving had eight points, attacking the rim to get to the free throw line while also dishing out three assists.

He finished the game with a team-high 20 points to go with seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, picking up a win in his first Celtics' playoff game in front of a roaring Boston crowd.

"It's very important but I think it's also important not to put so much pressure on just that first game," Irving stated on his team's first playoff game. "Everyone loves to make their predictions after that Game 1."

Irving continued on how he and his team can build on Game 1, whether it was a win or loss, "when you look back at it and see some of the mistakes and some of the things you can correct going forward I think that can really make a huge impact for the players in the locker room."

The Celtics lead the series 1-0, but have now defeated the Indiana Pacers four consecutive times. With how familiar these teams are with each other, having played five times already this season, the Pacers will be sure to make adjustments and get back after it in Game 2, trying to steal one on the road.

"To steal one (of the first two games) is always the away team's dream, but as the home team there's a lot of pressure to go out there and perform infront of your home fans and I think it's always a level up that you expect yourself to go to."

Irving mentioned how he didn't shoot the way he wanted to in Game 1, but it was important for him to keep attacking anyway.

The Celtics finished with 84 points, the lowest they've scored all season long. On the flipside of that, they held the Pacers to 74 points, they least they've allowed all season long.

Irving shot 6-for-17 from the field (35.3%) and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc (40.0%), yet still found other ways to make an impact while still leading the team in scoring despite the lack of efficiency.

Should he be able to get his field goal percentage closer to his average for the season (48.7%), the Celtics' offense should have no trouble getting that scoring total up for the rest of the series.